Shifting Perceptions
by Aimi-chan
Summary: Samuel Witwicky, age 10, meets a Real Gear Robot who escaped from the clutches of Sector Seven. Together, the two grow up in relative peace, until the day comes when the Autobots and the Decepticons arrive to bring their war to Earth.
1. Initial Contact

Shifting Perceptions

AN: This is a tentative story that I am writing. And when I say tentative, I mean that it's basically writing itself. I have no idea where this story will go, nor do I know what will happen. I don't even know if I will finish this story or scrap it in the middle. Thus, this story will be unbetaed. Read at your own discretion.

::Sam::

Little Samuel James Witwicky, at age 10, was currently in the middle of a mental breakdown. His hazel eyes scanned the crowd around him, searching for the all too familiar figure of his mother. Alas, luck was not on his side during their daytime shopping excursion in the middle of Las Vegas. Trying his best to control his breath, Sam directed his thoughts back home. He tried to envision his room, where he felt most safe. He thought about his father, who had reacted most humorously to his paid-leave, whatever that was.

His father had been given a couple of weeks off or something which had led to the family taking a vacation to the city of sin, whatever that meant. Thankfully, school had already let out for Sam for the summer, which meant that all the family needed to do was find someone to take care of the lawn and the flowers. His parents were so obsessed with their plants; it was a surprise that they'd taken the trip at all. However, it seemed as if the need to travel outweighed the need to care for their precious babies.

While Sam had been a bit apprehensive about the trip at the beginning, he had enjoyed the night shows with the acrobats and the tigers and such, even if he didn't get to participate in the gambling that everyone raved about. Today was their third day in the city of sin, and he only kept referring to Las Vegas as such because of his parents' priceless expressions when he called it that, and Sam had been looking forward to browsing the various shops and stores around.

What he hadn't planned on was getting separated from his parents, or more specifically, his mother. His father was still at the hotel, passed out on the bed from his late night fun. But back to the point, he was here, in the middle of a huge city swarming with people, completely lost.

::AX9-8946-09SU-1::

The Nokia 3310 sat innocently inside a glass box. Currently, all processes were off as the phone was turned off. The cell phone had no thoughts, no plans, no life. It was just a compilation of programming on top of programming connected through wires and chips. Then, the light came.

It was a bolt from heaven, or perhaps hell, as the cell phone realized it was no longer a cell phone. All processes hardwiring the phone to take calls and store numbers disappeared with one process blaring in the front of its mechanical mind. Survival. Unfolding its condensed form, the former Nokia 3310 was rather large. Crouching on all four limbs, the silver creature glared at the inhabitants outside of the box.

All systems inside demanded a rush into action. Kill. Kill. KILL. However, the creature held back. More than the urge to kill was the need to survive. It was what the light wanted. Survival. Life. To live, it needed escape. It needed to escape the box where the strange inhabitants stared in. Flexing its claws on its arm, it made a quick swipe at the box. Instantly, lines appeared on the glass, which fell away as another swipe followed the first one.

Suddenly, a different light came down on it. An electromagnetic pulse. It nearly scrambled its hardware, but it wasn't enough to extinguish the life given to it by the One. No. It would survive. Jumping through the hole in the glass it made, it landed on the nearest inhabitant. Scans, now able to be taken without the interference of the box, revealed that the inhabitant was a human, whose weak point was the neck.

Processing this in mere seconds, the creature sliced the neck and moved onto the next human. Soon, it was over. Three humans lay dead on the floor as the creature clawed at weakest point in the wall. It could feel the vibrations of more humans arriving at the door. Opening it would take a minute as it was locked from the inside, but the wall was not giving way as the humans had. Frustrated, it opened its mouth to reveal a small cannon inside. Aiming at the scratched it had made with its claws, the bot fired. A sizeable hole appeared, and not a moment too soon, as the door to the room was wrenched open. The creature slid into the hole and disappeared from sight.

It swiftly ran across the wall, using its sharp claws to grasp onto the small dents and cracks. It paused for a moment as it felt the power of the light. It was close. Very close. However, the light had not desired rescue. It wanted the survival of the creature it had brought to life. Deciding that this programming took precedence, the creature moved on.

As it approached the next wall, it felt an inexplicable evil aura. It was a big one. A creature given life by the light in their original surroundings, but one that had gone bad. Not staying around to let it feel its existence, the creature hurried through the vents.

After a couple of wrong turns and near misses, the creature stepped into the light outside for the first time. Its optics fuzzed for a bit until it got used to the brightness. Once adjusted, it took a sweeping glance at its surrounding. The land looked rather barren, showing few places to hide. However, there were some large metal objects nearby. Deciding this would be a safe place to hide, it entered the open door and transformed back into its cell phone mode.

"Come on people! We're not going to make Vegas if we stay here all day."

"All right honey. Come on kids, back in the car."

"Mom, is Begas really far away?"

"No sweetheart. Just a couple more hours. And it's Vegas."

"Oh."

The doors slammed shut as the family climbed into their SUV as they headed for Las Vegas, never noticing the Nokia 3310 hitching a ride.

::Sam::

Now, it had been one thing to get lost. Being separated from his mother did freak him out, but he figured that someone would help him eventually make his way back to his mother. He didn't think that anyone would hurt a little kid either, and soon, either the police or someone would come to take him back where he belonged.

What he hadn't counted on was the dog. It was huge, mean, and ugly. Its teeth were sharp, and its growl was very, very intimidating, which meant scary. At least, that's what his dad told him when dad had called mom that.

But back to the point, there was this huge black furry and mangy dog which growled at him before chasing his around the busy streets of Las Vegas. One had to wonder why no one came to help the poor child. Mostly, they hadn't cared. Some were too drunk, and most were too self-involved to worry about a random street kid running around with a dog on his heel.

As such, Sam was now in a deserted alley in between two rather dingy looking buildings. The dog was growling a couple of meters away from him, slowly inching closer as Sam scooted further backwards into the brick wall.

The run had tired Sam out, emotionally and physically. He felt his breath heaving as he held in his sobs that were threatening to burst out. However, an instinct engraved upon all living creatures was at work. Survival. His adrenaline and panic was the only thing keeping him from dissolving into a mess before his inevitable death by the jaws of the dog monster in front of him.

Sam's sensitive state could practically feel everything around him, the shifting of the winds, the rustling of the random trash lying on the ground, and every movement of the dog monster in front of him. His own breath was coming out shorter and shorter, as he saw, no, felt the dog tense up into a leap and all fell dark.

::AX9-8946-09SU-1::

For the former Nokia turned creature, the car ride was a different form of hell compared to the glass box it had been shut in. These humans were so obnoxiously loud and annoying. Not to mention disgusting. They sang the most inane songs over and over, and it swore the little human had excreted various disgusting liquids, solids and gasses over the past hours.

The former Nokia was a rather sensitive creature, meant for hyper-reception. The smells it received from the little human made it wish it had never been born. That's why, as soon as the car stopped, it transformed into its mobile shape, sliced open a small hole, and escaped from there as fast it could.

It nearly regretted this action. The outside was covered with humans everywhere. No matter where it turned, it could sense all of the disgusting humans. Their sweat, their gas, their hair. Everything. Scurrying away as fast it could, it reached a small dinky alley. The smells here were equally bad, if not worse than on the street, but at least here, there were no humans. It leapt onto the brick wall, using the cracks to hold itself up, in order to rise above the rotting smell at the base of the alley. Sufficiently high enough, it began to shut down programs which made it more sensitive. While useful when escaping enclosed spaces such as the place it had been given life to, such sensitivity was useless out in the open where there was too much information feedback.

Finally having organized its programs to the simplest bare bones, it took another look around its surroundings. It was still the same dinky alley it had been before, but the smell was almost negligent. The smallest shift in the wind no longer caused its programming to go haywire.

Suddenly, it heard a new sound never before heard. A deep rumbling sound. It had a twinge of anger and viciousness to it, so like the dark aura from the big one it had felt before. Looking down, it saw a small human, backing up to the brick wall where it was currently balancing on. In front of it was a four-legged creature that exuded the same evil aura it had heard previously.

Looking down at the small human, it could see that the human was breathing harshly, and it could smell the sweat that clung to the boy. Surprisingly, the odor wasn't as offensive as it was interesting. It watched the boy tense up as the black creature moved closer.

Curious to see what would happen, the metallic creature silently made its way downward. That was when the black four-legger leapt towards them and its own programs went haywire as it perceived a threat when survival was the most important thing and before it knew it, the creature lay dead on the ground, red liquid flowing out of the wound from its neck.

It turned around quickly, to see what the small human would do and noticed it was slumped into the wall. The eyes were closed and its breath had calmed to a more regulated level. Perceiving the small human as a non-threat, it scrambled over to study it close up.

The outer cover was squishy, and rather elastic. It had some small fuzz on its head, with small patches on its face in a symmetrical pattern. The small human's hands were about half the size of its own claws, and in general, there was no sharp or dangerous point on this human.

Searching through its clothes revealed no weapons. In fact, the small human possessed nothing except itself. While searching and poking, it noticed a small rhythmic bumping in the left chest section. Pressing its face into the chest for a clearer reading, it began to turn back on some of the sensitivity programs it had turned off. The surrounding became foul again but the small human's scent kept it at bay. The former Nokia almost gave up in examining the small human from lack of data when it felt a small crackle.

The vibration was tiny, puny even. It was so miniscule that the former cell had to focus all of its sensors to one point before it could clearly identify a small spark within the small human. This human was also one who was given life by the One. No wonder its scent had not been foul or disgusting. Even better was the lack of the evil presence found in the one back where the glass box lay.

Perhaps, this was its best companion for survival. While going through its options, it failed to notice the small eyes open. However, the sensors picked up the slight variation in heart rate and breathing. Startled, it accidentally tumbled off as the small human gazed down at it. Had it changed from a non-threat to a threat status? It took all of its will to not lash out as the human hand crept towards it.


	2. One and the Same

AN: Thanks everyone who reviewed! I'm glad this story seems to be of some interest to you all. About pairings: I'm not sure what it'll be but I can safely say it won't be Sam x Mikaela nor will it be any OC characters. I'm also a huge slash fan. However, there is an equal chance that there might be no pairings in this story. Like I said, the story is writing itself and we'll just see where it goes.

Remember, this story is unbetaed. Also, characters will be OOC. Read at your own discretion.

::Sam::

Sam felt a haze in his mind. Everything was dark around him except for the fog that seemed to pervade him. He tried to remember where he was, but something was adamant about blocking everything out. Instead, Sam took to looking around the haze. Slowly moving deeper into the fog, he realized there was a small crackling sound. It sounded like the radio when it was right in between two stations. The sound was breaking in and out.

Drawing closer to the noise, he noticed it was a small blue electric ball. There was an invisible wall around it which prevented the electricity from escaping in all directions. Instead, the blue light bounced around inside the ball, sometimes sizzling in and out. The glow of blue was very pale, but very warm and safe. Sam instinctively knew the ball of light would not hurt him. He even knew it would keep him safe, although from what, he had no clue.

However, a small tugging began to pull him away from the ball of electricity. Sam tried to pull away. He wanted to stay with the safe blue light. He didn't want to go back to where he had been. Sadly, the tugging won and Sam fell back into the darkness, only to open his eyes.

What greeted his sight was a strange metal creature. Blinking to make sure he wasn't dreaming, Sam realized the creature was staring back with two red eyes. In fact, it almost seemed to be glaring at him. Sam felt a small giggle leave him as he realized the creature looked more like a cat who had just been dumped in a pile of water, minus the wet part.

Further examination revealed that the cat-like creature had three claws on each paw. Sam noticed that they were very sharp and were slightly tinged with red compared to the silver complexion of the cat in general. Its tail was poised upward, it's back crouched. Innocently, Sam reached out to calm the creature. At first, the creature looked as if it wanted to rip him into pieces. However, it stayed still, and as Sam continued to pet its head gently, the creature calmed down.

::AX9-8946-09SU-1::

The former Nokia visibly relaxed as it realized the creature was still a non-threat entity. Feeling safer, it crawled a little closer to the human. The small human shifted slightly, moving the hand to pet the body instead, as the bot moved closer to lay its head on the human's chest once more.

The sporadic thrumming of the spark, although inconsistent and dangerously flickering still brought much comfort to it. Yes. This human was different from those other ones it had disposed. This one actually possessed a spark, although it had to wonder why the One would make one so ill-prepared for life outside. From the looks of the human, it possessed no weapons, no claws, no anything for survival.

The bot released what had to be a sigh from its vocals that had yet to be used as it realized that the care of the human rested in its claws. It couldn't leave the human who possessed a spark on its own in this dangerous world. In fact, it was preposterous that the human had survived this long on its own. No. It was crucial that the human be protected. Its own spark confirmed this as it pulsed to call to the human's own spark.

The human's spark, unlike its own, was weak and struggling to survive. It would have to stay and help nurture the spark, even if the bot was no better than a sparkling itself. Truth be told, the human was older than the former Nokia, but the human's weak spark belied this fact.

Mind made up, the bot moved its head away from the human's chest and crooned. The human seemed shocked. Perhaps the human hadn't realized it meant no harm. Deciding to remedy that, the bot arched into the human's small hands. It crooned some more in hopes of relaxing the human. It seemed to work as the human resumed its relaxed petting.

In fact, it seemed to have worked a bit too well as the human began making sounds of its own. A bit lost on human communication, the bot began searching for human language capabilities in its programming, until it realized it could download something from the World Wide Web. It seemed to be an all-encompassing network of programs that held a plethora of information. Downloading all of the information on languages, the bot began to search through each specific language until it met a match with the human's sounds: English.

"Hm… I wonder if mom and dad will let me keep him." The small human paused in its petting.

"But mom and dad were saying that I couldn't have a pet until I was in middle school." The human sighed. It seemed to be thinking rather hard until it seemed to have gotten a break through.

"Maybe I can hide him!" The former cell just stared at the human. "Hey boy! Do you think you could hide from my parents?"

The human seemed as if it expected an answer from the bot. Undecided, the bot began contemplating what would happen if it did answer when the boy continued talking.

"But you are the most coolest cat ever! I've never seen a metal cat before! Can you like, transform? And talk? And…" The former Nokia drowned out the rest of the words as the human continued asking question after question. Finally deciding to come out with everything, the bot spoke.

::Sam::

At first, Sam had been a bit shocked by the sounds coming from the metal cat. He didn't know that metal cats could talk. Rather, he hadn't known that metal cats existed outside of the TV. His parents had told him that monsters and ghosts and such existed in special boxes and could only be seen by using a TV. As a still innocent 10 year old, Sam believed them. In fact, he still believed in the tooth fairy. After all, it had left him a dollar every time he had lost a tooth. Not to mention Santa Claus. He always brought Sam's favorite thing for the year at Christmas time.

So, rather than being shocked from seeing a metal cat that moved, Sam was more shocked by the fact that they made sounds since the ones on TV couldn't. Thinking for a bit, he figured it was probably a secret ability the cats had hidden from the people who took care of all of the special creatures that existed in boxes. Deciding that it was probably so, Sam went back to petting the metal cat as it continued to croon at him.

Feeling completely safe and happy, Sam began firing questions at the cat. If it could do more than what was shown on TV, perhaps it could talk and do other cool things. That's when he realized, how was he going to explain this to his parents? They had strictly told him no pets until he was older, and he informed the cat just this. Perhaps he could hide him? But how… and that's when the cat spoke.

"Little human, speak slowly. I do not understand what you are asking."

Sam blinked. The cat had spoke, and it called him 'little human.' Immediately, years of manner training given by his parents emerged. "Hi," Sam said shyly. "My name's Sam. What's yours?"

The cat seemed puzzled for a bit, and then asked, "What is a name?"

Now, it was Sam's turn to be puzzled. How could the cat not know what a name was? "Um, a name is, uh, something you are called by?" Sam was more confused by this. What was a name? "It's something people call you by?"

The cat, however, seemed satisfied with this. "I see. It seems that I do not have a name, little human."

"Oh." This surprised Sam. He thought everything came with a name. All his friends had. Perhaps metal cats were different? "Then what do I call you?" And as an add-on, Sam stated, "You should call me Sam, not little human."

The cat nodded his head, causing the hand that was placed on his head to nod as well. "Perhaps you should assign me one."

"Assign?" Sam questioned. "What does that mean?"

"I meant that you should give me a name." The cat pushed the hand away in order to stand on its own in front of Sam.

"Um… what do you want to be called?" The only answer Sam received was a weird cat shrug of some sort.

"Right. Well, what about Fluffy?"

"No."

"Okay then. How about Kitty?"

'No."

"Um, Princess?" Sam paused for a moment, then added, "Wait, you're a guy right? Then no Princess."

The cat stared at Sam for a bit before replying, "I am not a guy or a girl. I am a former cell phone given life by the One, just like you."

The information didn't quite get through Sam as he just tilted his head, boggled by the information. Then he caught on a bit, and asked, "You're a cell phone?!"

The cat nodded. "Specifically, a Nokia 3310."

Sam just stared like a deer caught in headlights before shaking out of his stupor to ask, "Who's 'the One'?"

A bit surprised by the jump from subject, the cat just answered, "The one who made you and me."

If Sam had been confused before, he was even more confused now. "Wait, mom and dad made you? I thought the stork brought kids. And how did they make me? Or you?"

The cat seemed to roll its eyes before answering back, "Not your parents. I am speaking of a being greater than humans. The One is everywhere, connected to everything, although its conduit is currently held within the enclosure from where I came from."

Sam was at a complete loss. He had no idea what an enclosure was, not to mention conduit. The words the cat used were too big for him. Perhaps all cats were super smart or something. That's how they always got everything, except from Tom. Jerry always seemed smarter. Hm. It might only apply to furred animals since the cat in front of him was made out of metal. There was one other question Sam had.

"How did the One make me? I thought my parents ordered me from the storks."

The cat frowned at this. "If what I found on the World Wide Web is correct, humans engage in a joining of sorts to form a fetus inside of the female human to make a baby. There is no involvement of storks in creating life for humans. However, you are not a human. Outside, you may be human, but inside, you have a spark. You are one created by the One."

"A spark?" Sam felt a small thump inside.

The cat nodded. "It is the source of life for ones created by the One." Then, the cat opened up a small compartment on its chest as it sat on its hind legs to reveal a blue ball of light. It shone brightly and strongly. Sam gazed at it, mystified. It was the same light that had been with him in the darkness. He could feel the warmth emanating from the light. It made him feel safe.

In his own chest, Sam could feel a small thumping, as if to reach out to the light right in front of him. "Peppermint," Sam whispered.

"Peppermint?"

Sam nodded. "My mom said that peppermint is supposed to mean warm and safe. It reminds me of you." Sam looked straight into the cat's red eyes. The cat seemed startled by the trust and acceptance in Sam's hazel eyes which were swiftly mixing with a pale blue color similar to a spark. Nodding, the cat repeated, "Peppermint."

Momentarily settled, the cat closed its spark compartment and sauntered back into Sam's lap. Absentmindedly, Sam petted Peppermint on his head.

For a moment, the two sat peacefully, until Sam finally noticed the dead dog in front of him as a fly whizzed around him to land on the open neck. Startled, Sam stood up, rigid. Peppermint peered at Sam's face from where he was grasping him to look back at the dead animal.

Peppermint nudged Sam with its head. "We should leave."

Sam just continued staring at the animal. Peppermint nudged once more. "There was nothing else to be done. It would have killed us both."

Sam looked down at Peppermint and realized what had probably happened. For a moment, Sam wondered if he should be afraid of this metal cat with its sharp claws which could rip a dog's neck open with a slash. Then, Sam remembered the warm light, and how it had protected Sam from the dog. The doubt vanished. Peppermint had done no wrong. A little wary of the dead animal, Sam skittered around it to exit the alley.

Sam looked around, wondering where the two should go. Sam knew that he needed to find his mother, but he had no idea how to find her, and informed Peppermint of this. Peppermint, for his part, seemed to contemplate for a while, before realizing that he could sniff her out from her scent that still clung to Sam.

::Sam and Peppermint::

And so, the two began walking towards the center of the many stores that surrounded Las Vegas when Peppermint realized something. How would Sam's parents react to him? He was, after all, a metal cat who was a former cell phone. Did they even know that Sam possessed a spark? From what he had discussed with Sam, it seemed a negative. And the information about families and humans he had looked up on the World Wide Web all pointed to an unpleasant reaction towards unknown things, like aliens and monsters.

Peppermint had no desire to be stomped on, or killed, such as what the people from the imprisonment had been trying. Survival was his next priority after Sam. Peppermint nudged Sam softly towards an empty alleyway. Taking the hint, Sam entered the little alley.

"What's wrong Peppermint?" Sam asked, concerned about why his new friend wanted to enter an alley.

"We need to talk about how your parents will react if they find out about me."

"Oooh. I forgot about that part," Sam said sheepishly. "Um…," Sam began shifting on one foot to the other. "I'm not sure. They said no pets until middle school, and I don't think pets talk or have sparkles."

The cat looked up slightly appalled. "It's called a spark Sam. Not sparkles. A spark."

"Right. That. I'm still confused about it too." Sam frowned a little. "Is there any way you can hide?"

Peppermint smirked. Immediately, it began transforming until a Nokia 3310 sat in Sam's arm instead.

A little frightened, Sam held the phone up to his face and nearly shouted, "Peppermint!"

The screen flashed a little before typing, **I'm here**on the screen. Sam gave a huge sigh of relief. Then, curiosity got the better. "Are you in the cell phone? Do you need me to help you out of it?"

The screen blanked before new words came on.

**I am the cell phone.**

**This is what I was before I was created.**

**I can hide from your parents in this form.**

…

**And before you ask, I can turn back into a cat at any time.**

Sam smiled as Peppermint seemed to have read his mind. In fact, the next couple of lines made him believe Peppermint really could read his mind.

**Your mother should be a little further down the street.**

**Just keep going straight on the street we were before.**

Placing the now cell phone Peppermint into his jean pocket, Sam made his way out of the alley and back to the street. Jogging forward, he noticed his mother's figure as she continued browsing the store, never noticing he had been gone. Sam sidled behind his mother, and just grinned when she asked if he was having fun.

The trip had been entertaining before, but now, with Peppermint around, he was going to have fun. _Hmm, _Sam thought for a moment. _I never did get an answer if Peppermint was a boy or a girl._


	3. Small Changes

AN: Long time no write… I struggled a bit with this chapter because it's a connecting chapter… so it's short and a bit random, but it's done. Look forward to the next one. =)

This story is unbetaed. The characters will be OOC. Read at your own discretion.

'_italics'_ = thought

'**bold**' = texting

::Sam and Peppermint::

Sam looked on Peppermint, extremely amused and slightly exasperated. This marked the fourteenth confrontation between Peppermint and the evil food heater called a microwave. It was rather funny to watch Peppermint glare at an immovable object as it did its job to heat up Sam's spaghetti. His father and mother were both out for the evening to go on a date to "resurrect the romance in their life," or so they had tried to explain to him. It didn't really matter to Sam, so long as he didn't have to see his parents be gross together.

Back to the matter at hand, Peppermint continued to just glare at the harmless object. Well, harmless to humans at any rate. After returning from Las Vegas, the place where they met, Peppermint began to make himself home in the Witwicky household. More specifically, he made himself home in Sam's room. There was a small indentation on two of the pillows on Sam's bed, instead of just one. Sam's room had also lost most of its clutter and was much easier to navigate in compared to before.

His parents put it down to puberty. Sam blamed Peppermint's neat-freak personality. The small bot had freaked the first day he spent in Sam's room. He'd literally bounced around the room, throwing this and that around while incinerating other items before he'd declared the room habitable. Sam was nearly tempted to label the bot a "she" at that point, but figured the low tone of voice made the bot a male, no matter what Peppermint said about being genderless.

Ridding his head of such thoughts, Sam returned to his musings. Peppermint had taken to his computer rather well. It was a new computer, a present from his parents. They felt the need to stay "with the times" and what not, so he'd gotten a new computer. The surprising part was Sam's natural ability to use the computer. He had little to no trouble at all with making it do what he wanted.

However, if Sam was talented at using computers, Peppermint was a complete genius. He was able to manipulate binary codes like it was nothing. Sam chalked it down to Peppermint's robot-ness. After all, one robot had to know the inner workings of another one, right?

What stupefied Sam was the fact that he could understand the binary codes, and "computer language" as others put it, rather easily. All it took was Peppermint pointing out a pattern, and bam! Sam got it.

Now, while Peppermint was able to play nice with the computer, the boom box, and the telephone, he had some weird aversion to kitchen appliances. He disliked the freezer, he hated the blender and the disposal, and held a loathing for the microwave. Not to mention the stove, oven, and toaster. Anything that was heated or chilled, Peppermint stayed away from. Something that cut, Peppermint glared at. Everything that emitted radioactive waves using electricity to create heat, Peppermint destroyed, or attempted to, until Sam forced him to stop.

According to Peppermint, something about the wavelength rubbed him in the wrong way. Sam didn't really understand, so he let Peppermint glare at the thing, and complain all he wanted, so long as he didn't attempt to slice it into little pieces again.

Thankfully, the innocent, white microwave dinged, and not a moment to soon, if Peppermint's glacial glare was any indication of things to come. Getting out the plate of spaghetti with the oven mitt, Sam carried it to the table. Already on the table were a couple pieces of garlic bread, a small salad, and a glass of milk.

In addition, there was a small pile of papers, old school work that needed to be thrown away. Peppermint gracefully jumped onto the table, settling near the papers. As Sam said his thanks and began eating, Peppermint began to shred the papers into little pieces. Apparently, it helped keep his incisors and claws sharp, just in case. In case of what, Sam had no clue. Peppermint refused to divulge that much, feeling it was needless to worry about things that even he didn't understand very well. All Peppermint knew was that there was something evil out there and it wanted to hurt Sam. Peppermint would allow nothing to harm Sam, not so long as its spark existed.

Peppermint wasn't quite sure what made him so attached to Sam. He put it down to the feeling of the vulnerable spark beating next to his in bed every night. Perhaps it was the survival program kicking in. Two sparks would do much better than just one, especially in this sparkless world.

Either way, Peppermint would protect Sam with its life, even if it was the last thing it did.

::Miles (Day 1 of 6th Grade)::

Now, Miles was not the brightest crayon in the box, but contrary to what others thought, he was not the dullest crayon either. In fact, if he had to place himself in range of color, he'd be a light greenish color. However, it was the fact that he hated to study and loved to play that hurt his grades the most.

But at this stage of life, grades weren't too important. Instead, what took priority in his mind were friends and games. In particular, Sam. They'd met in pre-school, and hit it off. Both a little quirky, and pretty smart for their age. Outcasts. But that didn't matter because they had each other. They supported each other, listened to each other, and were the best of friends.

But recently, something had happened to Sam. Miles wasn't sure about exactly what had happened, but he knew _something_ had happened to him. After the family had taken a trip to Las Vegas, Sam had changed. He was always busy, and he was always texting in his cell phone, which had no service, and of course, Miles was not allowed to tell his parents anything about it. Being the perfect best friend, Miles had kept the secret, but was sad on how it had taken the attention away from Miles and onto whoever was on the other side of the phone (even though it had no service).

However, Miles settled his tumultuous feelings by deciding that if Sam was happy and safe, he was happy as well.

It was just as well, since Sam never returned to school after summer vacation ended. In fact, Miles never heard from Sam again.


	4. Protector

AN: So… I haven't been updating as much as I thought I would when I first began writing this story. However, as an apology, here are two chapters instead of just one (plus an interlude). Enjoy!

This story is unbetaed. The characters will be OOC. Read at your own discretion. Also, I took liberties of how Pittsburgh looks because I have never been to this part of Pennsylvania. So, the actual part of the town I'm talking about is probably very different. You've been warned.

'**bold**' = texting

::Sam and Peppermint::

At the moment, Sam was having fun viewing the miniature villages and railroads inside the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He loved electronics like any other kid, and an entire building full of blinking villages and moving trains was like a paradise for him. Even Peppermint, currently incognito as a cell phone, enjoyed the miniatures.

Sam had thought this visit of some distant relative, an uncle Sparkplug, would be boring, but his parents apparently foresaw such outcomes, thus leading Sam to spend a day here. He had been dropped off in the morning, around 9ish, and given some cash for lunch nearby. His parents had been adamant about Sam staying near the building, and then had left him to his own devices. Not exactly the epitome of responsible parents, but then again, his parents had always been quirky. A soft vibration broke through his thoughts.

**It's almost time for lunch Sam.**

Looking at the screen on Peppermint, Sam realized it was nearing noon, and he was getting a bit hungry, if the grumbling in his stomach was saying anything. So with one last look at a miniature supermarket, Sam headed for the exit of the building.

Walking along the sidewalk, Sam looked to browse the names of the various stores lined up. There were many names, most of which did not sound like an eating store, but a universal, McDonalds could be seen a bit further down the road, which Sam was thankful for. Sam immediately headed straight for the shining yellow M, although taking care to watch the traffic lights. He also noticed there was some construction going on directly across the street.

Not paying his surroundings any more mind, he entered McDonalds. He got a kids meal for himself, and sat in the corner, hidden, so that Peppermint could stretch himself out a bit. Peppermint made sure to keep low as he transformed back into his more feline form.

Curling into a more comfortable position, Peppermint gazed at the world on the other side of the store glass. Everything was so chaotic, with so many tools which could be used to harm a person. Contrary to their weak appearance, humans created some extremely durable and destructive items. Like nuclear weapons. Oh sure, once what it was encasing blew up, the cover would be gone as well, but the fact that it was capable of holding that much energy blew Peppermint's mind. It wasn't that cybertronians did not have equally, if not more dangerous, weapons. In fact, Cybertronian weapons were many times more dangerous compared to earth weapons. However, the fact that something so weak could create something so destructive was a contradiction in and of itself. Especially since it could so easily harm other humans whereas Cybertronian weapons took more than throwing a rocket into the general vicinity to kill millions.

And take that bulldozer for instance. It could easily be used to run over humans, smash them into walls, or to squish them. It could also be used to bury the human alive, and more. And yet, oblivious to all the dangers around them, humans kept on living. Such strange creatures they were.

Sam licked his fingers, getting off the excess ketchup that had found its way onto his hand. "Let's go," was gently whispered, in contrast to Sam's more wild-looking appearance. His curly hair did little to show his easy going nature, but it probably had more to do with genes. After all, with parents like Ron and Judy, you would either become as crazy as they were, or turn out more easy going and accepting of all things. This was what helped Sam take things in stride, although that probably made Sam a little weird in his own way.

As he got up, the ground started to rumble a bit, prompting Sam to sit back down. Peppermint, who had been midway into his transformation, abruptly stopped before undoing the sequence. He scrunched down, poised as if to strike anything that approached, with his mouth open into a silent hiss.

Sam stared at the direction Peppermint was fervently glaring at. Apparently, something was there. Maybe something like Peppermint, but another quake, followed by a loud _thud_ pointed to a much larger organism. Sam hesitated a bit, not knowing what to do. He was all alone, with no adults to protect him. Only Peppermint was by his side, and Sam did not want Peppermint to get hurt. No. Sam would not let Peppermint get hurt. Which meant Sam needed to think of a plan to escape.

Strangely, his mind seemed to work in overdrive. Various scenarios flew through his mind, each one being dismissed. Finally settling on heading out the back of the store, and running as fast as he could away from the source, Sam got up to move, when he realized something was staring in, at them.

Eyes wide, Sam could hardly believe his eyes. He would have started screaming if all of the store's employees and customers had not run away screaming already. In the midst of the chaos, Sam had been left behind. Peppermint seemed to get spikier, more audible hissing emitting from his vocal processor.

The robotic Tyrannosaurus rex's head quirked to the side, as if trying to ascertain what the hell Peppermint and Sam were. It bent itself down further until it was sitting on its legs, arms propping itself up, and it spoke. "Who you? Me Grimlock."

Peppermint recoiled in surprise. The big dinosaur spoke. Now that Peppermint thought about it, this one, also created by the One, did not have the evil miasma surrounding it like the _other one_. In fact, Peppermint would not be opposed to say that it seemed friendly enough, especially since it had not attacked yet. Clearly, neither Peppermint nor Sam was much of an opponent, and seeing as how both were sparklings, the one who called itself Grimlock could have internal programs that prevented the harming of youths.

Banking on this, Peppermint decided replying would be a safe route to follow.

::Grimlock::

It had been one thing after another. First, he'd landed on some weird planet with fauna and organisms crawling everywhere. Second, he was all alone, with no sign of his squad, or any other Cybertronians in general. Third, he had landed in what seemed to be a city for the two-legged organisms, and apparently, squishing them caused weird semi-cybertronian-like vehicles apparently called cars to appear, and he'd had to squish them too, but still. The fact that these fleshlings were everywhere and that there was almost no relief of them annoyed the hell out of him.

Of course, when he'd entered the atmosphere, the first thing he'd scanned was the skeletal structure of the dinosaur in the museum he'd landed in. It seemed fleshlings would run at the sight of him for the most part, except the curious ones who had stayed behind, thus having sealed their fate of being squished by him.

Well, Grimlock figured it would be better to lay low, even if he hated the fleshlings, the weak meat-bags they were, if only to cause less havoc. After all, if there were any unfriendlies out there, he did not want to have to deal with it on his own.

Or so he was thinking until he found a small signal coming from the city, near the wilderness he had thought to hide in. The signal was weak, but harmless in its wavelength, and as he got a bit closer, he felt two wavelengths synchronizing with each other. The second one was definitely weaker, but slowly growing in strength due to the more stable energy of the first one, never mind the fact that both energy levels were rather low. This meant sparklings: newly sparked mechs, which could only mean that the All Spark was near. Perhaps landing on this planet had not been so bad after all.

As he walked into the streets, the squishies did what they did the first time they saw him, scream and run away, which was fine for Grimlock. He did not want the stupid police cars (he'd looked it up on the internet once he had escaped the city) to come after him again. The bullets they shot were annoying and sometimes got stuck in his gear, which took forever to get out. It didn't help that his current form was slow. Although strong, the rate at which he could move without causing mass destruction was rather annoying sometimes. Perhaps he would scan a car for a back-up, but that was for later.

As he neared the signal, he noticed an intense spike of energy. Both wavelengths seemed to converge, as if trying to protect one another, but in reality were only making them more noticeable. Crouching down to peer into the building he was feeling the energy from, he noticed a small squishie and a small cybertronian modeled after a cat. What was even more alarming was the fact that a squishie was emitting spark energy.

Grimlock's sensors might not have been as good as a medic like Rachet's, but as a commander, his sensors and scanners were decent enough to confirm that the boy did possess a spark. It seemed to have stabilized recently, and by recently, only by a deca-cycle. This meant, the spark was still pretty unstable, considering it was stabilizing on another young spark and not a proper anchor.

Now, Grimlock was torn. On one hand, he hated squishies, he hated other mechs (minus his own squad), and while he thought about it, he hated everything that was weak, meaning just about everything. On the other hand, these two were creations of the All Spark, that much was obvious, and very much in need of a caretaker. There seemed to be some sort of internal processing calling out to protect them; that they were the last hope left by the All Spark.

So, Grimlock did the one thing he thought he'd never do.

::Sam and Peppermint::

Hesitantly, Peppermint replied, "I'm Peppermint, and this is Sam."

The dinosaur, Grimlock, nodded its head. "You little spark. He little squishie spark."

It seemed as if Grimlock was asking for confirmation. "I was newly sparked, yes. Sam is older than me by almost 10 years. But he is one who has been given life by the One. I will not allow you to harm him!" Peppermint got back to a more defensive, angry tone, especially after hearing Sam being called squishie. No matter how frail Sam's flesh exterior was, he still possessed a spark, and he was nothing like the other humans out there. It was practically an insult for Grimlock to group Sam with other humans.

Sam, on the other hand, seemed to realize that on the grand scheme of things, he was rather puny and powerless, even compared to Peppermint who had shown off the neat cannon in his mouth (that had the power to blow a hole through a tree, which Sam knew thanks to a demonstration). So, Sam decided it wasn't very insulting to be called a squishie, especially since he probably was kind of squishy and decided to just go along with it.

"It's okay Peppermint. I mean, I am technically kind of squishy, compared to you guys at least."

Peppermint just gave an exasperated glare in Sam's direction before turning his attention back to Grimlock.

"Grimlock no harm. Grimlock help. Let Grimlock help?"

It was strange how the question did not seem like a question at all. In fact, it sounded more like a statement. Not knowing how to take this statement-like request, Peppermint settled for glaring.

Sam, on the other hand, had questions of his own. "Why do you want to help us?"

Grimlock looked shocked for a moment, but then regained his composure, whatever composure he had, and replied, "You two young spark. Young spark need old spark. Me best old spark. You me connect, you okay, me okay."

Sam blinked a bit in confusion, trying to make sense of this strange new speech. It actually wasn't as hard to understand, considering his mother was less coherent when drunk. "So you're saying that because our sparks are young, we need to connect with your spark so that nothing bad happens?"

Grimlock paused a bit, almost as if he were surprised, before he nodded in answer. Peppermint, who had been listening to this dialogue while trying his best to guard Sam, relaxed a bit. It made sense that an older bot would help younger ones. At least, his programming thought it made sense. The problem was, this particular bot didn't seem exactly friendly, nor did he look it. However, he had offered, although Peppermint was not entirely sure what an anchor could do for them.

Grimlock seemed to realize Peppermint's hesitation a bit, while Sam just looked contemplative. "Anchor stabilize spark. No harm sparklings. Protect for eternity. Special bond," was the explanation Grimlock gave.

Peppermint's CPU finally seemed to locate something inside his basic programming that confirmed this. An anchor would be a great boon to both him and Sam. Now, all he needed to do was get Sam to agree with this. He was still in denial about being spark created, which would make Sam reject this offer.

Now, unknown to Peppermint, Sam had been thinking a lot about sparks. In particular, his own. After many failed attempts once they had returned from the Las Vegas trip, Sam had tried to feel the blue ball of electricity inside of him. No matter how hard Sam focused on the feeling he'd had the first time he'd met Peppermint, he could never actually reach the place, until one day, when he'd been focusing on the feeling of Peppermint's energy.

That night, Sam had been lulled to sleep as he felt the energy permeating from Peppermint, and when he opened his eyes, in front of him was the pale blue sphere. Sam knew instinctively that this was his energy ball.

Before, Sam had only a chance to glance at it before being pulled away. So Sam took the chance he had to study it. The electricity was indeed a blue shade, and it was bouncing around in the sphere. However, the center of the sphere was pure white, with the branching electricity darkening to a pale blue.

Entranced, Sam reached out to touch the sphere, and he felt warmth and energy connect to his hand. It was mesmerizing in a way. He felt an entity, ancient and wise, in the far recesses of the connection. The entity didn't live in Sam, but it wasn't cut off from Sam either. Instead, it was a sense of being there without being there. Sam didn't quite understand everything, but he did know that Peppermint had been right. Sam had been created by the One, although how he was human, he did not know.

So it was no surprise to Sam that he responded with an, "Okay," while this surprised Peppermint quite a bit. However, not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Peppermint nodded its assent as well.

::Grimlock::

When the feline replied, Grimlock felt a bit hesitant. This was a squishie after all, but the nagging feeling in his processor wouldn't go away. So he decided to play nice when the small mech screeched at him in anger for calling the squishie a squishie. It was kind of hard not to, considering how squishie they were, when Sam surprised him by stating the same thing.

All of a sudden, Grimlock realized this squishie was definitely not like other squishies, considering ones considered adults ran away screaming their heads off, and so did the children. But this one, he just accepted it all. Even as a sparkling, this one was strong, and so was the little mech. With a newfound respect and acceptance, Grimlock made clear that he would not harm them.

Of course, Sam, who actually seemed to be a bit more cautious but accepting than Peppermint, asked for his motives, and Grimlock replied the best he could in his own convoluted speech. That is, his reply was confusing to say the least, but to the point.

Peppermint seemed stuck on confusion, but Sam got the meaning. Perhaps being his anchor wouldn't be so bad after all. He actually understood Grimlock, when not even all his subordinates understood half the time. Figuring he needed to reassure Peppermint, who seemed determined to stay in defensive mode, Grimlock explained a bit more about anchoring. It was strange that these two had no knowledge. All mechs Grimlock knew were created with such basic information pre-programmed. Perhaps it was because they were Earth-sparked?

Once the two accepted, Grimlock motioned the two to come outside. When they did, they seemed a bit surprised to find it so deserted. He supposed the little ones had nearly none of the basic programming which would have recorded the background information, which meant that Grimlock had his work cut out for him.

He motioned them closer until they were right beside him. Peppermint stood off Sam's side, a bit in front, just in case. Grimlock had to admire its dedication. He could easily feel the bond formed between the two. It was a steady, strong bond. Their wavelengths were nearly identical, which helped strengthen and stabilize the bond.

He knelt back down, chest plate open, to reveal his own spark. It was a dark blue, almost chilly, but with a hint of warmth. The spark pulsed, each time resonating a bit stronger. Peppermint felt the pull first, possessing the stronger spark. It pulsed back, responding. Sam felt it soon after. A gentle expansion of energy, not unlike Peppermint's own that night he'd first come into contact with his own spark. The electricity, Sam could see, reached out a little more each time, until finally, Sam's spark and Peppermint's spark connected to Grimlock's. Immediately, Sam felt the ground fall under him, and clenched his eyes preparing for the impact. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes to see Grimlock holding him steady.

Sam looked down to see Peppermint gazing at Sam a bit worriedly. A small smile eased Peppermint a bit.

Grimlock had not expected the connection with Sam to be so strong, especially during the initial contact. From what he had heard from other mechs, the connection gradually grew stronger. This would have to be filed away for further analysis at another time. Instead, there was another problem to address.

"Parents not know, correct?"

Sam and Peppermint both frantically looked at each other before turning their worried eyes to Grimlock. Grimlock could only sigh at the difficulties they would face from now on.

**extra notes**

Deca-cycle = approximately 3 weeks.


	5. Interlude Grimlockese

AN: Here is my interlude. This happens a couple of days before Chapter 5 begins. It was supposed to be all humor, but there is some cuteness/seriousness to it. Enjoy!

This story is unbetaed. The characters will be OOC. Read at your own discretion

Interlude 01 – Grimlock-ese

"Me Sam! Me like meatballs!"

Peppermint looked at Sam, a bit bewildered, with a scared look on its face. "Sam? Are you okay?"

Sam smiled. "Me fine. Go see Grimlock. We play!"

By now, a small glitch flickered in and out of Peppermint's audio receptors. Peppermint barely said, "Okay," without attempting to run away.

Together, the two headed outside. Sam's parents were both at work, and Sam was currently home alone. While this was irresponsible for his parents, Sam didn't mind because it gave him a lot more freedom. Having a baby-sitter sucked, according to Miles.

So Sam got on his bike, with cell phone Peppermint in the basket on the front, and the two headed for the abandoned construction site they were beginning to think of as a second home.

Grimlock was already in dinosaur form, his most natural state according to him, and had what looked like diagrams drawn on some of the floors and walls. Looking at the pictures, Peppermint, who had resumed his cat form, and Sam could see that today would be another lesson in Cybertron history. They had already learned about Iacon and Tyger Pax. From the look of the letters, it seemed like today would be about Trypticon, and a bit more on reading Cybertronian.

Peppermint momentarily forgot about Sam's new speech habit due to his excitement over learning more Cybertronian letters, when Sam spoke.

"Pretty pictures! Grimlock draw good!"

Sam grinned as Grimlock stared in disbelief, while Peppermint sighed despairingly.

Grimlock cautiously asked, "Sam, are you okay?"

"Pep ask too! Me good! You good?"

Not liking this, Grimlock asked more seriously, "Sam, why are you talking like that?"

Peppermint looked up, hopeful.

"You said talk impression bad, enemy stupid. Me think so too. Me copy! Me like talking like you very much!" Sam's eyes seemed to sparkle a bit in adoration.

Grimlock slapped his forehead. "Sam, its okay for me to talk like that because people already think I'm stupid anyways, and I'm always fighting so I want people to underestimate me. Do you want people to always look down on you?"

Sam thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Then you need to stop talking like that. You're special enough as it is. You don't need to talk like I do for others to underestimate you, okay?"

Sam nodded at this before realizing, "Hey! Are you saying I look weak or something?"

Grimlock slightly smirked as Sam returned to his normal speech. "You look like a human Sam. I'm a big, bad robot with lots of fire weapons, jaws that can rip through anything, and a nasty energy sword that is very sharp. Compared to me, or even Peppermint, you are weak."

Sam pouted a bit. He didn't want to be weak. He wanted to be strong so that he could protect everyone dear to him, kind of like Superman or something.

"Don't worry Sam, you'll get stronger as you grow up," was Peppermint's encouraging reply. Grimlock also nodded to this, although he knew that Sam's chemical make-up would soon start changing into something a bit more metallic than organic. However, he decided to keep this to himself for now. It wasn't time yet, and they still had a lot of history to cover, not to mention teaching them to read and understand Cybertronian. Peppermint could read it just fine, but had a hard time speaking it, while Sam was deficient in both areas.

Well, considering that both his students were eager learners, Grimlock found himself not minding so much, and maybe feeling a bit happy to have become their anchor. Smiling, he pointed to the first diagram before launching into a long tale of Trypticon and its history of how it became a Decepticon city.


	6. Sparking Changes

AN: This is a very technical chapter, giving you background on how sparks and wavelengths work. I hope I don't confuse too many of you. I will try to update more frequently, but no promises.

This story is unbetaed. The characters will be OOC. Read at your own discretion.

::Sam & co.::

"Now hide, later tell."

That had been Grimlock's suggestion with the parent problem. Concerning Grimlock's own problem about getting from Pennsylvania to California, well, a quick scan of a car solved that issue. Peppermint relayed information about Sam's home, and the bond would also help Grimlock find them regardless of the distance.

So now, a silver Ford Mustang GT was inconspicuously parked inside an abandoned construction site near Sam's home. The family had returned home soon after arriving there as Ron and Judy had both been running out of paid vacation days. There was still another three weeks to go before sixth grade would start, and Sam didn't know if he was excited or not.

After Grimlock had anchored him and Peppermint, Sam eventually began to see flickers of the bonds connecting them, until he saw them all the time, including the one between him and Peppermint. The strand of electric light connecting the others to Sam was different, including the one connecting Peppermint to Grimlock.

This question turned into a lesson Grimlock taught the two instead of the scheduled 'Let's Learn More Cybertronian Language'. "It is surprising you can see the spark bonds. Normally, the network is not visible, not even to our eyes. It might have to do with the fact that you are an All Spark-created human. As for the different bonds, everything forms unique bonds. Some are strong, and some are not. Even among anchors, you can have different bonds. Peppermint is already stabilized to a greater extent, thus requiring a smaller connection to keep his spark grounded. You are not stable. Your spark is constantly trying to disperse, so you need a stronger bond to keep your spark connected."

This was not the first time the two had heard Grimlock speak normally. Apparently, he could speak normally, but he chose not to, if only to annoy his enemies, and make everyone underestimate him, so that he could gloat in the end. Not the best role model, but he had been nothing but patient and gentle with the two new sparklings under his care, and he spoke to them normally, if only because they had to communicate and he didn't mind revealing his intelligence to them since it would already be obvious through the anchor bond.

Grimlock then launched into a description of the role as an anchor, as the two were clueless. "An anchor, which is me in this case, is someone who has access to your network through a connection between our sparks. It bypasses all safety protocols because anchors need to know how we can help you, especially in times where you can't communicate. Of course, this doesn't mean we have constant access to your network. That would be detrimental to us as well. The only network you should have access to is your own, or when you merge. If that occurs, both your partner's network and your own should combine into one."

"Merge?" Peppermint asked. "What do you mean?"

Nodding at the question, Grimlock replied, "To merge is to make one network out of two. Basically, you and your partner will be sharing a single network. Normally, this can only be done with two mechs whose spark gives off the same wavelength." He seemed to remember something, and added, "But there are cases where those with the same wavelength end up as bitter enemies, and those who have different wavelengths merging. It really comes down to personal preference."

This only seemed to confuse both Peppermint and Sam more. Sam chipped in, "Then what about the bond between Peppermint and me?"

Grimlock had wondered at their bond before as well. He realized that to an extent, the two seemed to be working within the same network at certain times, although Sam seemed unaware that he was using Peppermint's network at all. He would have to be taught to start accessing his own later on. Instead, he settled for replying with the conclusion he came to a while ago. "You two are special. You share the same network but are not merged. It's probably caused by two reasons. One, you have very similar wavelengths. It's nearly identical, but not quite. This probably allowed Sam to just join in on Peppermint's network instead of fully initializing his own. Also, you didn't have an anchor to stabilize the both of you. So, you both ended up relying on one another to make up for the energy you didn't possess, causing a stronger connection between you two then normal bonds. Even the closest bond achievable without being a merger is not like your bonds, since you are both essentially sharing Peppermint's network."

"And a network is," was the next question from Sam.

At this point, Grimlock really wished the All Spark had thought to put in some basic programs, at least on how to live, in Sam, but alas, it was not so. Thus, the information had to come from him. "A network is something like the human brain. It is all of your connections, information, and data. The spark is who you are, your personality in human terms."

Sam nodded to show understanding. "So basically, the network is where I think and stuff, while my spark is where I feel." Grimlock cringed at the bare bone explanation, but it was close enough. There were programs in the network that could influence feelings, but it was true that feelings would not occur without the spark, so he nodded. "That is the basic gist of it."

"So, how long do we need an anchor?" Peppermint asked inquisitively.

"Once an anchor is made, it's for eternity. The sparks are forever connected." Peppermint seemed shocked at that, but Sam just nodded in acceptance. He had probably felt it in the bond he could now see. "But," Grimlock added, "You won't need the anchor's presence anymore once you've lived a vorn or so. By then, all your learning and survival programs should be optimal." Peppermint seemed a bit dissatisfied, but Sam was fine. The bonds felt permanent, and that reassured his spark.

Peppermint felt Sam's contentment and decided to let it be. If Sam was happy, so was it. "So will I ever form my own network?"

Grimlock nodded. He had wondered at this as well, but could already feel Sam's own network forming thanks to Grimlock's own spark energy supplying power. "This is why you need an anchor. Our sparks help form a base to build up your own network. While yours is currently the brain, my spark energy is supplying enough power and stability that it's slowly switching to our more sophisticated mechanism. Soon enough, you'll probably stop sharing Peppermint's network and start using your own, which means I'll have to install some basic programs in so your network doesn't go haywire." Grimlock continued mumbling about firewalls and such.

As such, he didn't notice Sam turn a bit pale, but Peppermint did. Ever since the anchor, Peppermint had been feeling a lot stronger, healthier, and safer. This allowed him to activate more sensory programs, as he found out his were more sensitive than Grimlock's. It also helped that Grimlock was such a strong mech. It was probably the best decision the two of them made, besides deciding to become friends.

"What's wrong Sam?" Peppermint asked.

Sam looked at Peppermint, turned to gaze at Grimlock, then looked down at himself, before replying, "How do I download programs if I'm not mechanical like you guys? Are you going to p-pl-plug into my br-brain?"

Sam seemed to frighten himself a bit more with the question. Grimlock immediately paused his mumbling, and Peppermint recoiled on himself. "I'd never do that to you Sam!" Peppermint tried to reassure him.

Grimlock added, "And it's not like you're completely human either." Peppermint glared at Grimlock.

"Wha?" was all Sam could say. If possible, he turned paler. He had always thought he was a human born with a spark. To find that he wasn't human left him wondering what the hell he was. He definitely wasn't all mechanical like the other two. Did that mean he was a cyborg or some weird cross alien thing?

Grimlock could feel the distress coursing down the bond, and immediately sent back a reassuring wave down the bond. The negative feelings hesitated a bit before weakening a bit. "You were definitely born to humans." This lessened the negative pressure a great deal. "However, you were probably configured inside the womb to not be human." A small cry escaped from Sam. "The All Spark made you to be a Cybertronian one day. In fact, from the schematics I have been able to form, I think you'll reach at least 10 feet at the end of your growth period, which is very unique for Cybertronians because we don't grow. We're sparked into the build we'll have for life. You, will actually develop, and soon begin forming more mechanical parts. It will be a gradual change. Your spark is still not ready for such a transformation."

Sam collapsed to the ground. He couldn't believe this. It was, well, for a lack of better words, unbelievable. He would become a robot. "How long?" Grimlock looked on; worry clear in his slitted blue eyes. "There wouldn't be any clear signs until a vorn later or so, if nothing agitates your growth." At this, Sam seemed to relax a bit. He wouldn't be turning into a visible freak anytime soon, but this didn't mean that Sam wouldn't be changing.

The truth was, Sam could already feel changes. He knew now that his enhanced understanding was due to being a part of Peppermint's network. It was broader, had a wider access to information, and Sam seemed to draw that into his own mind. He could see bonds, but he could also see sound waves, like those that occurred during a thunderstorm, or something even as weak as the sound from turning on the TV. He could also feel the microwave's energy, and now knew why Peppermint didn't like it. It definitely clashed with Sam's own, considering his own wavelength was nearly identical to Peppermint's.

In fact, there were more changes than Sam wanted to realize. He had kept pushing it away, thinking it would stop here. But fate wasn't so kind. At least he had a bit more time before he'd be unrecognizable, but Sam could already feel the pressure building up. He wasn't sure how his parents would take this at all, or how he'd get by in school. If he knew too much, then would he be seen as an even bigger freak than he already was due to his parents and his own laid-back personality? He could only take so much of Trent's taunting before cracking under it. And what would Miles think?

Grimlock and Peppermint both felt these thoughts invade their own networks, and had no answers for him. Grimlock thought, and Peppermint agreed, that it would be best if Sam stopped living a human life as soon as possible. Sam would have to spend an eternity as a Cybertronian, and it would be best to get into the habit now. Of course, they knew it would be a hard transition, but they didn't realize just how hard it would be. Cybertronians didn't eat, they didn't bleed or hurt like humans, and they certainly didn't breathe. For Sam who did all these things, how could he suddenly not do it?

But Sam also knew deep down, or perhaps the One was telling him through their connection, that he did have to accept this and it would be easier now than later, before he formed even more connections to the human way of life.

With this thought in mind, Sam decided it would be best to talk with his parents. He was still a ten year old, and only about to enter sixth grade. He hoped they could help him with this problem. After all, they were his parents. What could go wrong?

**extra notes**

Vorn = 83 years


	7. Confrontations

AN: This chapter has been the bane of my existence. However, here it is, finally. I'll try to not make waits between chapters so long next time. Even I forgot what I was writing about. Luckily, I caught some small mistakes in some of the earlier chapters. They have been corrected. Remember:

This story is unbetaed. The characters will be OOC. Read at your own discretion. Enjoy!

::Sam & co.::

Sam paced around his room, anxiety causing even his laid-back nature to take a back seat when faced with the daunting task of revealing his robotness to his parents. He wasn't quite sure how to tell his mom and dad, 'I'm not really a human but an organically developing robot somehow created by a god from another species.' Not only did it sound farfetched, it also sounded like something from a sci-fi movie or something a rebellious teenager would say, never mind the fact that Sam was not a teen.

In actuality, Sam himself could hardly believe it, and was still in shock from the information and the ongoing changes. Sure, the changes were internal and not visible to others, but Sam definitely felt the changes, and that more than anything scared him. However, it wasn't a complete mess of negative emotions. No. Behind the worry and fear, Sam knew he was enjoying the changes, which made him feel all the worse.

It was like the stereotypical superhero story. A normal kid developing fantastic powers and having to deal with the responsibility that comes with the power. What was it that Spiderman's uncle had said? With great power comes great responsibility? Well, Sam could check on the internet using Peppermint's network, but it required focus Sam was unable to collect at the moment.

Not that Sam could actually assume great responsibility. He was only 10. However, he needed to tell his parents about the new developments. He needed their support, and even their approval, just as much as he now needed Grimlock and Peppermint's. What he feared was their rejection. Their rejection of his acceptance, and joy of the changes, or more simply, their rejection of him.

However, bemoaning his fears in the security of his room was not going to solve the problem, especially since his parents were currently unaware of any problems. So, gathering what courage he could, Sam steeled himself as best any 10 year old could, opened the door, and headed downstairs where his parents were relaxingly watching TV.

Sam paused once he reached the bottom. He felt his resolve crumble. Perhaps he could do this some other time? It didn't have to be today, just as long as they learned eventually. He turned around, ready to head back to his room upstairs when he felt Peppermint nudge him, both physically and mentally.

In the distant background of his mind, he even felt Grimlock's presence, an ever plentiful source of strength and pride.

Taking a deep breath, Sam turned back around and headed into the living room. Just as he'd thought, both his mother and father were enjoying their ritual Saturday afternoon gardening program.

While Sam would have preferred to wait until the show was finished – because really, his parents were gardening fanatics, - Sam did not want to give time for his resolve to fade.

So with great trepidation, Sam cleared his throat to gain their attention.

"Go away, Sam," his father responded with a shooing motion.

A bit angered at being treated like a dog, Sam cleared his throat once more.

"There are brownies in the kitchen dear," replied his mother.

Sam rolled his eyes. She always thought he was hungry, although he could really go for a brownie or two at the moment.

"Mom, dad, I really need to talk to you," Sam implored.

"Oh alright, but let's make it quick." His father turned his attention to Sam. "Luckily, it's on a commercial break."

His mother looked at Sam expectantly.

Clearing his throat for the last time, Sam glanced at Peppermint who was currently hiding behind the couch his parents were sitting on.

Gathering his courage, he blurted out, "I'm a robot!"

Ron and Judy Witwicky stared at Sam before turning back to the TV screen.

"Alright Sam, now go have fun playing," Judy responded.

Ron just shook his head. "Pretending to be robots. Back in my day, we pretended to be Superman. You know, super heroes?"

"Oh Ron, if Sam wants to be a robot, he can be a robot. He doesn't have to be one of your comic book characters."

"But they're cooler! And they have super powers."

Judy rolled her eyes. Men and super powers.

"Uh," Sam stood dumbfounded. Perhaps that was too clear? "I mean I really am a robot."

"We get it Sam. You're really a 'robot'," Judy replied, motioning quotation marks around robot.

"We'll play robot with you after the show is over Sam," Ron added.

Sam smacked his forehead with his palm. He just wasn't getting through to his parents, and while a small part of him was happy, a rather large part was annoyed.

Sighing, Sam tried once more. "I'm not playing pretend. I really am a robotic being, although I'm a human organic type, so it's more like a cyborg for now, but I was configured in the womb by a god worshipped by another species to start out looking human but transform into something like a 10 foot robot over the course of a century or so."

His parents both blinked at the explanation. "That was a lot of details for your pretend playing Sam." Judy looked a bit worried. Sam was always a bit smart for his age, thus allowing him to start Kindergarten at age four, but this was a bit too elaborate. Was it time for an IQ test or something?

Sam groaned in frustration. His parents just weren't getting it. Throwing his hands in the air, Sam made his way to leave when Peppermint jumped out from behind the couch.

"Sam is telling the truth. I suggest you listen to him before it is too late," Peppermint warned, slinking around Sam in his cat form.

"Oh my God!"

"AHH!"

"Is that a cat? A robotic cat?"

"Is this some secret government project? Sam, did you pick this up?"

The two continued to bombard Sam with questions until Peppermint interjected once more.

"He already told you. I am a robotic organism created by the One, who is our creator and god, and I am, for a lack of better words, a brother of Sam's.

"Sam, explain, right now." Judy demanded.

So, Sam explained. He told them about Las Vegas, the rabid dog, Peppermint's rescue, the naming, sparks, his own spark, the meeting with Grimlock, the things he'd learned about their race, and about the changes that were occurring in him, changes that he hadn't even fully revealed to Peppermint or Grimlock.

For a moment, Judy and Ron were both speechless, and then Judy asked, "So, you were changed when I was pregnant?" Sam and Peppermint nodded. "By this All Spark?" They nodded again. "And there are giant robots, which Sam is going to become in a century or two?" They nodded again. "But, why are you little? Are you also going to grow?" She pointed to Peppermint.

"We do not come in one size or one shape. We are as diverse as humans are in function and form. I just happened to be made smaller."

"I see," Judy nodded.

"You do?" Ron asked bewildered.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Judy stated with certainty.

"What is?" Ron asked, alarmed.

"It's from your side of the family."

"Huh?" Ron looked at Judy as if she'd gone crazy.

"Your great grandfather went insane and ranted about a devil man or something, and wrote all those pages of strange glyphs and patterns, right? That was probably this All Spark thing, which infected him, and somehow infected his children and eventually you too." Judy answered.

"That makes no sense," Ron retorted. "My grandfather was already born before any of this, so it can't be genetics."

"It probably doesn't need genes. Maybe it jumps from person to person?" Judy gazed at Sam, as if looking at her son for the first time in her life.

"Or maybe it doesn't have anything to do with any of that. Maybe this was just meant to be."

Sam glanced at his mother, in shock. Was she accepting him? As a robot human thing?

Ron stared at Judy for a moment, before switching to staring at Sam. He sighed at the sight of Sam, bewildered, and Peppermint, still walking eights between Sam's legs.

"Well, what happens now?"

Judy gazed at her husband approvingly. Sam, still bewildered, felt tears forming in his eyes. His parents were truly accepting him, as a robot. They weren't throwing him out, nor were they looking at him with disgust, like an alien or monster.

Sniffling, Sam said, "Well, Grimlock thinks I should try to get used to the Cybertronian way of life since I'll be changing into, a, well, robot."

"Oh! And Cybertron is the planet the robots are from, and they call themselves Cybertronians," Sam added.

"I'm guessing school is out?" Judy asked for confirmation.

Sam nodded shyly. He still couldn't quite grasp the fact that his parents were accepting him unconditionally.

"Well, I guess it's every kid's dream come true," Ron stated wistfully.

Sam's eyes widened at the implication.

Judy confirmed his joys. "No more school."

"But how do we hide this?" Ron questioned worriedly.

"This?" Judy inquired.

"You know, about the alien robots, plus the fact that our son is one, and the fact that he isn't going to school anymore?"

Here, Peppermint had a solution. "Grimlock thinks it best if we live together, away from humans, so that Sam can acclimate easier."

"We are not going to just let you take our son away from us," Judy exclaimed.

Peppermint cringed slightly. He probably should have stated that differently.

Sam came to the rescue. "It'd be kind of like boarding school! Except, you can visit whenever, and I can come visit too, although Grimlock said it probably wouldn't be too good for people to see me since I wouldn't look like myself eventually…" Sam became dejected again at the prospect of physical change. It sounded painful.

For a moment, each member of the family was immersed in their own thoughts.

Judy broke the silence. Slightly tearful, she nodded her acceptance. "Alright. I want to meet this Grimlock fellow, and we need more explanations, but so long as we can visit as much as we want to, I won't stop you, if this is what you really want Sam."

Sam went to sit by his mother. Hugging her, he said, "Yes. But you have to visit a lot! And make brownies for me, and spaghetti, and – and…" He trailed off as tears dropped from his eyes, his mother making soothing motions on his back.

Sam knew, this was for the better, and while the still human and ten year old part of him longed for the return of the normal days, his new, larger, and still changing side was looking forward to life with Grimlock and Peppermint.

* * *

Omake

"Sam is telling the truth. I suggest you listen to him before it is too late," Peppermint warned, slinking around Sam in his cat form.

"Oh my God!"

"AHHHH!"

"Ron, you scream like a girl."

"AHHhh- I do not!"

"Right. You're not convincing anyone."


	8. Interlude The First Meeting

AN: Here is a little extra I wrote before the next chapter! Enjoy~

This story is unbetaed. The characters will be OOC. Read at your own discretion.

::Sam & co.::

Judy Witwicky stared at the dinosaur-like creature, disbelief on her face, before turning to frown at her fainted husband.

"You are a lot bigger than Mint over there," she spoke calmly as she pointed to Peppermint.

Peppermint arched his back defensively. "I'm not short! I'm just… compact."

Judy's eyebrow quirked at the statement before turning back to Grimlock, poker-face back on.

"So, you're not a resurrected dinosaur?" She asked again for clarification.

Grimlock shook his head. "I landed in an exhibit of these creatures, which I scanned to camouflage myself with the surrounds." He grimaced at the memory. "It didn't turn out so well."

"Right."

She turned to stare at Ron again, before looking to Sam who was holding Peppermint in his lap.

Sighing, she continued. "Let me get this straight. There are others of your kind on earth, and more scattered about the universe searching for this All Sparkles-"

"The All Spark."

"Right, right. The All Spark, or whatever," Judy waved away, "And you discovered that it's on Earth, and now, thanks to Sam's ancestor's glasses that we gave you, you know where it is."

"Yes," Grimlock replied, unsure of where she was going with the conversation.

"Then, why don't you get it and leave? I mean, it being here on earth is just going to make this planet a target, isn't it?"

Grimlock sighed. He wasn't getting through to the human female, and it was beginning to aggravate him. He took a quick glance at the metal bat still firmly held within her grasp.

_If it wasn't for that weapon, I'd-_ Grimlock stopped his thought process there. The woman was not going to let go of that weapon, and so long as she held it, Grimlock would stay docile. Who knew she was so fearsome with it. It almost made sense that the first biological Cybertronian to exist had been created from her.

As he heard the bat start tapping the ground in annoyance, he quickly answered. "Even if I were to get it and leave, I couldn't because I am now charged with Sam and Peppermint's well-being, and while Peppermint could survive space, Sam still can't."

"And he won't be able to until a vorq passes?"

"It's a vorn," Grimlock corrected, a claw going to his head. "Around 83 of your human years."

"And this isn't going to hurt Sammy?"

"No, ma'am. That's why it takes so long. It's meant to be a painless, nearly unnoticeable process."

Judy's eyes narrowed before lightening up. "Well, I guess there's nothing to it then. You better teach Sammy well! I'll put in the paperwork to have him be home-schooled. And," she hesitated before agreeing, "I'll come to visit Sam instead of having him visit home. You're right in that it'd be… suspicious."

Grimlock's reptilian eyes glowed brightly. He'd never thought she would give in to his compromise.

"But! I'll be doing some decorating around here." She glared at the sparse furniture and walls. "I won't have Sammy living in a dump, especially if it's supposed to be his new home, and You!" she pointed out, "Can expect me here every weekend."

"And your husband?" Grimlock pointed to the still unconscious man. He'd fainted as soon as he saw Grimlock's dinosaur form.

Judy crinkled her nose. "I'll bring him up to date later. I expect your help in bringing him back home. And when we're going shopping. Oh, there's so much we're going to have to buy. It's a good thing Ron just got a bonus!" She mentioned cheerfully.

The other three looked at the man on the floor pityingly. He was definitely going to regret having passed out.

"Seriously, Sam, it's a good thing you take after your mother," Peppermint declared after a short while.

Sam nodded his agreement. "Yeah, if I fainted at everything that surprised me, I'd be dead long before now."

Grimlock sighed once more. He didn't think it had so much to do with surprise as it did fear. Still, he was so glad Sam took after his mother. Perhaps he'd get Sam a bat as well, but one made from Cybertronian alloy. Who knew? He could be just as deadly a wielder, and it would help in protecting himself until Sam grew his own weapons.


End file.
